Djibouti, Djibouti (AHN) - Ethiopian Airlines could be close to
settling a dispute with the Civilian Aviation Authority in neighboring
Djibouti over the type of aircraft used by the airline, according
African news portal Afrik News.
Ethiopian Airlines is hoping to use turbo-propelled aircraft, while the
Djibouti authority is pushing them to use jet-propelled planes for
flights to that country. The two parties have recently entered
negotiations.
The dispute started when Ethiopian Airlines wanted
to introduce eight Q-400 turbo-propelled aircraft purchased from
Canadian manufacturer Bombardier as part of its regional and
international expansion plan. Djiboutian authorities, however, refused
to let the new planes land.
The route between the Somali capital
of Addis Ababa and Djibouti is one of Ethiopian Airlines’
longest-running routes, operating since 1946.
“The major issues
facing individual airports where aero-engines is concerned are pollution
and noise rather than safety,” aviation expert David J. Bentley told
The Media Line. “Safety is the preserve of national and international
organizations, either those dedicated to the industry, or political
ones.”
“In economic terms, planes with the ‘turbo-prop’ [a gas
turbine driven propeller] engine are usually slower than those with jet
engines [an internal combustion engine], but are more economic over
short distances and modern versions tend to be ‘greener,’” he explained.
“That is why the [Bombardier] Dash 8 Q-400 has become a popular model,
along with the ATR 72-600,” Bentley told The Media Line.
“There
has been a tendency for many African countries to become the graveyard
of aircraft as they are passed down from western countries because they
fail noise and/or pollution tests there,” he said.
“Sometimes
they are then re-engined with substandard parts from other aircraft,”
Bentley said. “The entire continent is under pressure, especially from
the US, whose airlines are increasing direct flights there – notably
Delta – to improve standards.”
Berouk Mesfin, senior
researcher at the Institute for Securities Studies in Addis Ababa,
described the relationship between Ethiopia and Djibouti as good and did
not think that the dispute was representative of the political
situation between the two countries.
“They [Ethiopia and
Djibouti] have always been very close.” He explained that is “because
Ethiopians have been using the port in Djibouti for export and imports.”
Mesfin added that “ever since 1977, when Djibouti became independent,
there have been good relations. There might be some hiccups here and
there, but in the whole they are good.”
In 1977, Djibouti,
previously known as the French Territory of Afars and Issas or French
Somaliland, won its independence from France. The present leadership
favors close ties with France, which also maintains a significant
military presence in the country. During the time of the rebellion, the
government forged close ties with the U.S. leading to the establishment
of the Horn of Africa task force.
In 2002, the U.S. Central
Command established the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa base
at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti. The task force comprises some 1,800 staff
from each branch of the U.S. military in addition to civilian personnel.
Its mandate is to detect, disrupt, and ultimately defeat transnational
terrorist groups operating in the region.
For the
U.S., one of the advantages of Djibouti is its geographical location,
just across the water from Yemen, north of Somalia, and east of Sudan.
Despite the country’s central location in the troubled region, it is
relatively quiet, which gives the force a stable base for operations.